Wow! What a discussion. There is nothing more ordinary than “reality” and nothing more controversial. When we seriously think about what we mean by “reality” we encounter levels, horizontal slices of a cake. Which slice is desired, pointed to—involves the vocabulary and the syntax that you must use to describe that segment of reality. …
Again the family celebrated Clara’s 89th birthday with a prime rib dinner. A dining room was filled with light and conversation. At one end a display of mounted musky, pike and walleye reminded us of our link to the north woods. Looking down upon our long table at the other end, a mounted trophy…
The lake and the woods make a scarcely perceptible sound. Maybe it’s the sound of the wind in the tall pines, spruce and aspen. No wind can been seen moving the surface of the still, mirror-like surface. There is life all around, and almost no sound. Most of the movement is behind the scene,…
Friday morning in Eagle River Wisconsin. The woods by the lake are serene. In the north woods life is expressed by shear being. I recall life in a busy Starbucks at this time of morning; the chatter of patrons describing morning drink orders to a barista who recognizes the payment collected by the swipe…
Glen Campbell passed on August 8th. I was never a fan but I heard his music played over the radio for many of my young adult years. When we lived in Durham Campbell was a patient at the Ear Nose and Throat hospital where my wife worked as a medical assistant. She rode in…
Can agency and determinism be combined? Helen Steward in her book A Metaphysics of Freedom asserts agency. Agency is the ability of a Subject to effect a physical change in the world apart from the limit of antecedent brain states. The position is that of incompatibilism. Agency and determinism are incompatible descriptions of human…
The 10 AM meeting was scheduled in Chicago. I am not comfortable in a congested urban space, but will do what is necessary for the good of the company. The traffic gods were favorable and our departure time of 9AM allowed just enough time to exit off of I94 at Fullerton. We found a…
Yesterday late afternoon as we returned from a family birthday celebration, a dark towering bank of clouds filled the horizon to the north. From past experience I knew that rain was in those clouds, maybe lightening and a lot of wind. Everyday it is the same. In some direction a threatening cloud fills the…
Sunday morning at Starbucks. I have the seating area to myself, reggae music over the PA. I am in recovery. I sat through the movie Dunkirk yesterday. Seated before the enormous IMAX screen I knew viewing the film would be a most unpleasant experience. I enjoy movies usually, and find even the poorly made…
I have not written directly about the President elected some months ago. Others have written often, at length. I did not see the benefit of more ink spent upon that topic. Now I’ll hazard to put my thoughts into words. Perhaps we have a President that we deserve, an person who is an example…
